FIFA organizers stretched the ceremony to nearly the length of a full soccer match—the actual draw did not begin until the 87th minute of the show.

The United States Men's National Team will face Paraguay in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the tournament draw revealed Friday.

The U.S. will host Paraguay in Los Angeles when the 2026 FIFA World Cup arrives for the first time in over three decades. Friday morning’s draw in Washington D.C. liad out what the 48-team tournament will look like in what will be the largest World Cup ever.

The United States is the Group D favorite following the draw for World Cup 2026. It's first-round opponents include Paraguay and Australia.

A favorable draw Friday afternoon, with the U.S. facing Paraguay and Australia in Group D, along with a third yet-to-be-determined playoff victor between Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo, was as much as the Americans could have asked for at this World Cup on home soil.

The top seed in Group D, the Americans welcomed Australia and Paraguay — manageable foes that they defeated in home friendlies this fall — and the winner of a March playoff between Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.

The U.S. men's national team will face Australia, Paraguay and a European playoff winner in the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The USA will begin the 2026 World Cup against Paraguay as part of what initially appears to be a favorable draw for the hosts. Mauricio Pochettino's side will also take on Australia and the winners of one of the four European playoffs to secure a spot at the tournament, either Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.

In the buildup to the World Cup, the U.S. will play two friendlies in March, against Portugal and Belgium in Atlanta. They will then play two more tune-up matches on May 31 in Charlotte (against a to-be-determined opponent) and June 6 in Chicago (against Germany) as they prepare for their June 12 opener.

All around the globe, eyes focused Friday on the stage where World Cup paths were sorted, nations' names chosen one by one in a draw that determined Argentina and Lionel Messi will start their title defense against Algeria and the U.